


Don't Miss It

by squireofgeekdom



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Spoilers - Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future, The Mindscape, Weirdmageddon, Weirdmageddon speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 20:32:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5063071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squireofgeekdom/pseuds/squireofgeekdom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of DaMvtF, Bill traps Mabel in her Mindscape. To bring her back, Ford follows, leading to some conversations they both need. </p><p>"On the other side of the portal, he had seen many things, some of which he could never forget. What he’d seen in Bill’s dimension had haunted his nightmares for 30 years. </p><p>He thought he’d be prepared for whatever traps Bill might have lain in Mabel’s mind.</p><p>He was wrong. </p><p>The inside of Mabel’s mind is bright and sunny, not too hot but without the crisp edge of fall in the air. The sound of voices fills the air, and he’s jostled by people carrying cups and wearing brightly colored hats. </p><p>Oh God, he thinks, with dawning horror. It’s a party."</p><p>Optimistic post-DaMvtF speculation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Miss It

**Author's Note:**

> #MabelAndFordPinesDefenseSquad2k15

“Mabel?” Dipper shouts into the walkie-talkie, “Mabel, come in!”

The tear in the sky is growing wider in front of them as Dipper runs towards the woods, Ford at his heels. 

Dipper lets the walkie talkie drop to his side, shouting out into the trees. “Mabel, where are you?”

The sound of Bill’s laughter brings Ford to a standstill. 

“Looking for Shooting Star?”

There she is, floating in front of them, surrounded by a pink sphere, apparently unconscious. 

“Yeah,” Bill continues, “She was nice enough to hand over that rift you’ve been hiding. Kids, amiright?”

“Mabel!” Dipper shouts, lunging forward, but Ford holds him back.

“Bill! What have you done to her?” Ford shouts.

“Me? Nothing. Just given her a nice little trip in tHE MINDSCAPE, poor kid. She’s having a bit of a rough day. Nothing like yours is going to be, of course!” Bill cackles.

“Dipper,” Ford tugs on the boy’s shoulder, leaning in so he can speak without Bill hearing. “I need you to distract Bill so I can get to Mabel. Can you do that?”

Dipper tears his eyes off his sister long enough to look at Ford and nod. Dipper sets off back to the shack at a run, shouting “BILL!” as he goes.

Ford rifles through the contents of his jacket.

“No - no - no - ahah!” He fires the reverse tractor beam at the pink bubble, pulling himself up through the air to land above Mabel on the top of the sphere. He digs through his coat to find a pick, glancing up just long enough to see Dipper leap off the roof and punch Bill square in the eye.

“Hah!” He lets out a breath of laughter before chipping away at the translucent pink surface. It cracks quickly - apparently, being punched in the eye is a good distraction. Ford grabs Mabel as she falls, tucking himself around her and rolling as they hit the ground to absorb the impact. Once they come to a halt, Ford pushes himself back up into a crouch, laying Mabel down on the grass.

“Mabel!” Dipper is running towards them, and - 

Bill is back, the white of his eye reddened. Dipper immediately steps in front of Mabel as Ford rises to his feet, pulling out his gun.

“Hey,” Bill starts, holding up his hands. “Hang on to her for a bit if you want. I’ve got a few more COGS IN THE WHEEL to collect. Say your goodbyes while you can. Don’t think she’ll be good company, though - she’s not going to be waking up anytime soon!”

Ford fires a parting shot, but Bill’s already gone before the bolt hits the tops of the trees. 

“Mabel -”

Dipper is kneeling by his sister’s body.

“Mabel, wake up, please, I didn’t mean it -”

Ford scans the trees for any other threats before holstering the gun and kneeling beside Mabel as well. He reaches out two fingers to check her pulse - it’s steady and slow. “She’s alive,” He says, reaching up to push back one of Mabel’s eyelids.

“Don’t -” Dipper starts, but Ford focuses on watching Mabel’s eye. Her pupil flicks back and forth, watching something, but not focusing on either of them. 

“It’s as I feared,” Ford says, letting Mabel’s eye close. “Bill’s trapped her in the mindscape.” 

Dipper clutches his sister’s hand. “What do we do?”

“First, we need to get her someplace safe.” Ford says, scooping her up into his arms as gently as he can.” “Back to the Shack, quickly!”

Dipper dashes in front of him to push open the door to the Shack. Ford carries Mabel inside, past the glued-together taxidermy and racks of t-shirts, down the hall to his room. Once inside, he lays her down carefully on the couch.

Dipper’s been silent the whole way back, now he stands next to the couch, staring down at his sister’s face for any sign of waking. “This is my fault. If I hadn’t -”

“Dipper!” 

He kneels down and takes Dipper by the shoulders to make sure he has his attention. “I need you to find Stan. Tell him we need the red screwdriver. Do you understand?”

“But,” Dipper asks “What about Mabel?”

“I’m going to go into the mindscape and try and find her. Then, she should be able to wake up.”

“I’ll go with you.” Dipper says, determination etched into his stance.

“No -” Ford starts.

Dipper cuts him off - “She’s my sister!”

“Dipper, I have no idea what kinds of traps Bill might have left in your sister’s mind to keep her in the mindscape! I have to do this alone.” Ford does his best to smile encouragingly. “I’m trusting you to find the red screwdriver, Dipper. It’s the only way we’re going to stop all this.”

Dipper looks at Mabel, then back at Ford. “Alright. I’ll do it.” He says, looking Ford in the eye. “You’ll keep her safe?”

“You have my word.” Ford says. 

Dipper nods, shooting his sister one last look before running towards the door. 

“Bring Stan and the screwdriver here when you find them!” Ford shouts after him.

When the door closes, Ford takes a deep breath. Adrenaline can’t last forever. Already the damage to his ribs is starting to wear on him, the pain cutting through his concentration.

Ford pinches the bridge of his nose.

_Focus._

He looks at Mabel’s face - still no sign of waking. Ford reaches for the third journal, opens it to the right page. He smooths back her hair and lays a hand across her forehead, starting the chant to take him into the mindscape. 

\---

On the other side of the portal, he had seen many things, some of which he could never forget. What he’d seen in Bill’s dimension had haunted his nightmares for 30 years. 

He thought he’d be prepared for whatever traps Bill might have lain in Mabel’s mind.

He was wrong. 

The inside of Mabel’s mind is bright and sunny, not too hot but without the crisp edge of fall in the air. The sound of voices fills the air, and he’s jostled by people carrying cups and wearing brightly colored hats. 

_Oh God,_ he thinks, with dawning horror. _It’s a party._

The whole town, it seems, is gathered outside the Mystery Shack to celebrate. Ford pushes his way through the crowd, towards what seems to be the center of the commotion, under a large banner that reads -

_Oh_

The banner reads, in large, brightly colored print: ‘Happy Birthday, Mabel and Dipper!’ 

Behind a pile of presents and a towering cake that appears to be at least half frosting, Mabel and Dipper are sitting together, chatting happily, surrounded by Mabel’s friends and the Mystery Shack employees.

“Sixer!” 

When Ford turns around, it’s to find Stan’s face grinning at him, which is all the reminder he needs that this is an illusion. 

“Glad to see you finally got out of the basement!” Fake-Stan says, clapping him on the shoulder. 

“Grunkle Ford!” Fake-Dipper exclaims. “You made it!”

“Mabel -” He starts, but Mabel interrupts him as she leaps out of her chair. 

“Grunkle Ford! I’m so glad you made it!” She grabs his hand and drags him to the table. “Have you had any of the cake! Oh, and you should try some of the Mabel-juice - ”

“Mabel, I need you to listen -”

She presses a plateful of cake into his hands. “Have some cake! It’s not a party without cake.”

“Mabel, none of this -”

“Mr. Pines,” It’s one of Mabel’s friends - he doesn’t think they’ve ever been introduced in reality. “I was wondering if you could tell us more about the spider-people in the mountains. I am still not quite clear on some aspects of their biology.” 

“Yeah!” Dipper - Fake-Dipper - says, “I want to hear more too!” 

He tries to push past them, but one of the Mystery Shack employees, the one he first met - Jesus? Soos? - steps in. “Dood, did we not get you a seat? Hang on, lemme just grab a chair from the back, just a sec -”

He pushes him aside. “Mabel, none of this is real! Bill is trying to -”

“Grunkle Ford, you’re being silly.” Mabel says. “Why are you talking about Bill? You and Dipper got rid of him weeks ago!”

“Eh, don’t worry about my brother.” Fake-Stan says, shrugging. “He gets like this - obsessive and all that. You just enjoy your party, sweetie.”

“Great-Uncle Ford, whatever’s wrong, we can work on it after the party, right?” Fake-Dipper says.

“I know why Grunkle Ford is being a grumpy-pants,” Mabel says, hands on her hips. “He doesn’t have a party hat!”

As Mabel turns away to find him a party hat, he can see her smile slip for just a moment. A few of the guests on the fringes of the party fade away. 

_This isn’t real. This isn’t real. This isn’t real._

When Mabel turns back to try and plant the party hat on his head, Ford takes her by the shoulders. “Mabel, none of this is real. Bill is trying to trick you into staying trapped in the mindscape -”

Mabel’s face falls, her eyes wide. The party beyond the central table is dissolving. A hand grabs his shoulder and pulls him away. “Hey, I know you’re going through some stuff-” Stan looks more concerned than angry. “But let’s not ruin the birthday, huh? Let’s just - let’s just go somewhere and talk, leave the kids to their party, alright?”

_Fake-Stan. Not Stan._

He needs to stop slipping, or Bill will get him too.

“Mabel!” He shouts, pushing Fake-Stan aside. “We need you to wake up! This isn’t real! The world is in danger!”

“Dood,” Soos - Ford is fairly sure that is his name - Fake-Soos is back, standing in his way. “This really isn’t cool. You don’t just mess with someone’s birthday, dood.”

“Yeah, dude.” The other mystery shack employee - the one with the axe, the redhead, why can’t he think of her name? “Mabel worked really hard on this party. You need to cut her some slack.”

Ford is profoundly aware of the fact that she has her axe on her belt now. 

“Mabel, they aren’t real!” He shouts, trying to push his way past Fake-Soos and Fake- Wanda? - Wendy? - but they are suddenly stronger than he is. Worryingly so. 

“Mabel!” He shouts, fighting against the unrelenting pressure of the Mystery Shack employees as they drag him away from her. “Mabel, you need to listen to me!” 

_Why won’t she listen? She just needs to listen -_

In his glimpse of Mabel, she looks terrified, staring around as the edge of the mindscape’s illusion start to flicker and fade, the cake and presents melting away. “Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop…” She mutters, burying her face in her sweater. 

_She’s so scared._

That thought hurts worse than the rough hands of the two employees pushing him down.

“Mabel!” He shouts, struggling to stand up. “It’s not real! You don’t need to be afraid! It can’t hurt you! It’s all in your head!”

His assertion of unreality, however, doesn’t make it any easier for him to stand up, pinned to the ground by the two fake-employees. Mabel just shakes her head, pulling her turtleneck up to cover her face further. 

The glimpse of his niece is blocked by red hair. “Mabel doesn’t have to listen to you.” Fake-Wendy says, and there’s something, something he’s missing -.

 _Did she see? Did she see what was coming, before Bill trapped her?_ It had driven Fiddleford mad, to the mind of a twelve year old - you’d have to be mad not to be terrified.

“You don’t have to be scared of what’s coming, Mabel!” There - she looked, he could catch a glimpse of her eye over the sweater. “We can save this dimension! If you can beat Bill’s tricks in the mindscape, we can beat him in the real world. Mabel, trust me!”

She buries her head back in her sweater.

“You gotta stop talking about Bill, man.” Fake-Wendy says, and he’s missing something, he’s missing something right in front of his face.

“No one should make Mabel cry on her birthday.” Fake-Wendy continues - what is he missing?. 

“Yeah, dood.” Fake-Soos says, nodding. “Mabel and Dipper fought through like, a crazy time gladiatorial ring to fix my birthday.” And that must be important - is that it? “I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make sure theirs is perfect.”

_Birthday, birthday, what am I missing about birthdays?_

He can’t think - why can’t he think? He has to be able to figure out what he’s missing, he has to stop missing things, he’s been missing things since he got back, he’s been gone too long and nothing makes sense anymore, no, it stopped making sense since long before the portal he keeps missing things and now the world is going to end because of it and why can’t he figure out what he’s missing? 

There are too many eyes, Fake-Soos and Fake-Wendy, and now Mabel’s friends, all four of them glaring down at him, and he’s never going to make it out of here and Dipper’s waiting for him and what if he finds Stan and he hasn’t brought Mabel back -

\- and the sun’s heat is too oppressive for his sweater, and he remembers why he hated his and Stan’s summer birthday, too many people as he sweltered in the sun, pulling down the sleeves of his jacket to cover his hands -

Wait.

There had been something important there. Don’t miss it, he can’t miss it, not again -

_Summer. It’s about summer. Focus._

He recognizes the people gathered here, even if he doesn’t know them - that’s important. That’s important.

_They’re all from Gravity Falls._

There aren’t any friends from home here. There’s no one, nothing beyond the summer day, stretching on like the banner fading in the breeze.

_You don’t want to go._

“I know you’re scared!” He shouts, desperately. “I know you’re scared of the future!”

Mabel turns, looks at him, and he didn’t miss it, he didn’t miss it this time. Fake-Wendy and Fake-Soos look at each other, and fade. 

Ford pushes himself up from the ground. Mabel blinks.

Her two friends - the short one with glasses and the tall one, who is wielding a chair - charge him.

“I know you’re afraid of being alone.” He says, and they fade before they even reach him.

Now Dipper - Fake-Dipper - is tugging at his coat. “Grunkle Ford, why are you doing this? Can’t we just enjoy the party for a bit? We can deal with the weird stuff later.”

Ford kneels down and reaches out to hug Dipper. “I’m sorry.” He says, looking up at Mabel. “I know you’re afraid of things changing.” 

Fake-Dipper fades away.

“Ford,” And oh, isn’t that an expression he knows better on his brother’s face. Stan has a bat in his hands - even though he’s always been strong enough with his fists alone. “Isn’t ruining my life bad enough? Now you gotta put the kid through this too? Well,” He says, smacking the bat against his open palm, “I’m not going to let that happen.”

“Stan -” Ford says, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry.” He looks back up at Mabel. “I know you don’t want to listen to me, but your brother is in danger, and the only way you can help him is if you wake up. I know -” He says, swallowing as he watches Stan’s angry face, watches his brothers hands twitch on the handle of the bat . “I know you won’t leave your brother in danger.” He says, taking a step forward towards Stan. _“Mabel, I trust you.”_

He closes his eyes, and waits for the blow to fall. 

It never comes. 

When he opens his eyes, Stan is gone. There’s only Mabel, floating in front of him, buried in her sweater.

The mindscape around him is full of drifting rainbows and kittens and bright popping fireworks. It must normally be bright, but now everything is faded, greyed out. 

“Mabel?”

She’s crying. He pushes off a rainbow to float towards her.

“Why -” She says, finally looking up as he approaches. “Why’d you have to do that?”

“I’m sorry,” Ford says, reaching out to wrap her up in a hug. She uncurls a little, pressing her face into his shoulder, tears leaking onto his sweater. 

When she hiccups herself into silence, he asks. “Are you ready to wake up now?”

She shakes her head.

_Okay. Calm. Stay calm. She won’t wake up if she’s terrified._

“Well, alright,” He says, sitting back a little and trying his best to smile reassuringly. “Actually, time is slowed down by a factor of ten in the mindscape, so we’ve probably only been gone for a minute or two. Dipper probably hasn’t even found Stanley yet, and then they’ll still have to get the screwdriver. Once we’ve got that, we’ll have a real shot at defeating Bill! So -”

She’s crying harder. Mabel’s crying, and he said the wrong thing, he missed it -

He reaches up to run his hand through her hair, hoping it would register as a gesture of comfort. “Mabel?” What was it that Stanley always called her? “Mabel, s-sweetie, it’s - it’s alright.”

“I’m - I’m sorry -” She sniffs. “I gave the snowglobe to - to Bill. I thought -” She presses her face into her sweater. “I just wanted more summer and now the world’s ending and everyone’s going to die -”

“No one is going to die.” Ford says, hoping that’s true. He puts a hand on Mabel’s shoulder. “We’re going to fix this, Mabel.”

She sniffles. “Dipper must be really mad at me.” 

“Dipper’s worried about you.” Ford says. “When I last saw him, he just wanted you to wake up.”

Mabel shakes her head. “He doesn’t know it’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault.” Ford says, reaching out to tilt her face so she’s looking at him. “ _Bill_ did this, not you. Bill tricked me too,” He adds, “And I was much older than you. He was the one who convinced me to build the portal in the first place. It’s my hubris that got us all into this mess.” He says with a sigh. “Bill will trick or manipulate anyone to get what he wants. If there’s anything he’s good at, it’s finding our weak points.” Ford says. “If anyone here is to blame, it’s me. I should never have let you be put into that situation.”

Mabel shakes her head and buries her face into her sweater. “‘s not your fault. My fault. I’m stupid. Stupid Mabel.”

“You’re not stupid.” Ford says, more surprised than anything. She shakes her head. “Bill tricked me too.” He continues. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

She shakes her head again. “No. You’re smart. Like Dipper. I’m just stupid, stupid Mabel with my stupid parties and stupid romances and stupid sweaters and I‘m always going to be stupid and that’s why Dipper’s going to leave me and everyone’s leaving me and I can’t do it, I can’t do it -” Tears are running down her face again. ”-and I broke the world for it, and now-”

“Mabel -” Ford reaches out to hug her. “It’s okay, Mabel, you’re not - you’re not stupid. It’s okay.” Her tears are soaking through his sweater and he doesn’t know what to say or what to do -

“I, um” He starts, after a few minutes of stroking her hair. “I don’t think your sweaters are stupid? I actually really quite like them. Turtleneck sweaters have always been my favorite, too. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to hide away, huh?” He tugs on the neck of his own sweater. “Dipper says you make them yourself? That must take a lot of work, especially for the designs! I tried to learn a little about making clothes while I - while I was travelling, but I could never do anything that intricate. I was actually going to ask if you might make me a couple when you had some time.” 

“You,” Mabel starts, “You really like my sweaters?”

“Yes! I do.” He says, a relieved smile breaking across his face. After a few moments, he asks, “Do you - do you want to talk about it? Maybe a little slower this time?”

That elicits something that’s half hiccup, half laugh, which he takes as a little victory. 

“You’re - um -” He rubs the back of his neck. “You’re scared about Dipper leaving?”

She nods. Okay, that’s a start.

“I - uh,” Ford adjusts his glasses. “You guys haven’t been apart a lot before?”

She shakes her head. 

“I know when things are different, they can be frightening.” He flexes his fingers, fighting the urge to tuck his hands behind his back. “But you don’t have to be scared of being alone. Look at all the friends you’ve made in the time you’ve been in Gravity Falls! Everyone loves you! There’s no way you’re going to be lonely when you’re back home.”

Mabel shakes her head. 

What is he missing?

“Your brother isn’t leaving forever.” Ford says, reaching out a hand reassuringly. “You can come visit over the summer, and - schools still have winter breaks, right? The ones with the tree? It won’t even be that hard to visit - it’s not like you’ll be on opposite sides of the country!” this last, he adds with particular enthusiasm, but it doesn’t seem to lighten Mabel’s mood at all. If anything, she’s buried herself further into her sweater. “And you can call, and - text?” He continues with increasing desperation. “And - what did Dipper call it? Skip? Skype?”

He is still missing something, and he has a sinking feeling that it’s the same thing he missed on the swing set on Glass Shard Beach, before everything went wrong.

He still doesn’t know what it is. 

_Don’t miss it. Not this time._

\---  
\---

The sky is tearing apart.

The sky is tearing apart, and he doesn’t know where the kids are.

“Mabel!” He shouts out the back porch, looking everywhere for a brightly colored sweatshirt, a pine-tree hat. “Dipper!”

“Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Stan!” Dipper dashes out the back door and skids to a stop, bending over to rest his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. 

“Dipper!” He turns around, reaching out to grab the kid’s shoulders. “Thank Bunyan you’re alright!” He looks around, but no brightly colored sweater materializes. “Where’s your sister?” He asks. “There’s weird things going on -”

“She’s with Great-Uncle Ford in his old room!” Dipper says, all in a rush, “Bill trapped her in the mindscape, but Ford says he can get her out. We can fix this but we need your red screwdriver. Do you know where it is?”

Stan blinks. “Mabel’s in the what now?”

“The mindscape!” Dipper claws his hand through his own hair, struggling to slow down enough to think. “It’s like - where you have your dreams and memories and stuff. Bill trapped her in there so she won’t wake up!”

“She’s trapped?" Stan starts, "We’ve gotta go help her -” He's already making for the door. 

Dipper grabs his arm. “Great Uncle Ford’s already helping - he’s going to go find her and bring her back. The red screwdriver, Grunkle Stan!”

“Red - uh, yeah, it’s in the toolbox in the shed” He shakes his head, distracted. “You’re saying Ford is in Mabel’s _head?”_

“Yes.” Dipper says, clearly relieved that Stan understands. 

“That -” Stan starts, then catches himself. “I gotta go fix this, Dipper. How do you get into this - brain-scape thing?”

“The mindscape!” Dipper insists. “The incantation is in the third journal -” Stan’s already starting back through the door. “Grunkle Stan! The screwdriver!”

“The toolbox in the shed!” He doesn’t want to leave Dipper, not with that tear in the sky getting bigger, but Mabel is more important than whatever mad plan Ford has dragged him into now. “You can get it, Dipper, I gotta go fix this before my brother makes it worse!”

“Grunkle Stan!” Dipper shouts after him, but he’s already gone, running inside, skidding along the the hallway until he finds the door to Ford’s room. 

Mabel’s lying on the couch, and he goes cold at the sight of her so still. 

His brother’s hand is lying across her forehead, and - there. The journal is lying open on the floor next to them. 

“Don’t worry Mabel,” He mutters, squinting down at the words on the page. “I’m gonna fix this.” 

\---

Stan opens his eyes, disoriented, to a cat floating by.

The cat is pink. Faded pink, but clearly pink. 

Well, it’s certainly Mabel’s brain he’s in. 

“Mabel!” He calls out. “Mabel, where are you?” He jumps from rainbow to rainbow, eyes peeled for her brown hair, listening for her voice.

When he hears her, she’s crying.

Mabel’s crying.

He’s going to punch Ford. A nice right hook to the jaw, for making his grand-niece cry. 

Not in front of the kid, of course. 

He’s got a solid image in his head of the approach angle of the punch, and is currently debating the merits of brass knuckles, when he hears Ford’s voice. 

“Your brother loves you.”

Well.

That was certainly not what he had expected. 

You know, maybe he could give him a few minutes. Just to see where this was going.

“There are times when you each have to be your own person.” Ford is saying. “Do you understand? It’s not - about loving someone more or less, it’s about - it’s about when it’s best for both of you to be your own people. Sometimes - you just need things for yourself. I mean, there must be things you’d want to do without Dipper, right? Working on your sweaters, or spending time with your friends - or - or talking about - um - crushes? Kids still do that, right?”

“But -” Mabel says, so softly that Stan can barely hear her. “We’re the Mystery Twins.”

_It was supposed to be us forever!_

Stan braces himself to push off the rainbow, because Ford’s just about to make this worse, but - 

Ford reaches out to hug Mabel. 

Maybe - he considers, relaxing his grip on the rainbow just a little - maybe he can just let them talk this out for a bit.

\---  
\---

What is he missing?

Did they ever talk about the future, these two? Had Dipper ever told Mabel what he’d told Ford, about technical college and ghost hunting? Or - had Dipper been like him?

_Joke’s on them if they think you wanna go to some stuffy college on the other side of the country!_

“Um -” Ford tilts his head, “Do you - do you understand why your brother wants to stay?”

“He likes mysteries.” She says, sitting back and rubbing at her eyes - it’s a relief that she’s speaking again. “He likes dumb mysteries and monsters more than me, ‘cause I’m too dumb to keep up with him.”

_You care more about your dumb mysteries than your family!_

Well, there’s that relief gone.

“No, Mabel, no.” Ford says, reaching out and putting his hands on her shoulders. “Your brother loves you. When I came here, he had just punched Bill in the face to protect you! He just -” He looks up - he has to think, he can’t miss it, he _can’t -_

_It was supposed to be us forever!_

“There are times when you each have to be your own person. Do you understand? It’s not,” Ford says, “about loving someone more or less, it’s about - it’s about when it’s best for both of you to be your own people. Sometimes - you just need things for yourself. I mean,” He adds, “There must be things you’d want to do without Dipper, right? Working on your sweaters, or spending time with your friends -” Why do names have to be so hard? “- or - or talking about - um - crushes? Kids still do that, right?”

“But -” Mabel says, quietly. “We’re the _Mystery Twins.”_

_Oh._

Without thinking, he wraps her up into a hug, pulling her in tight under his chin. 

“I can’t do it, Grunkle Ford.” She says, tucked into his sweater. “I can’t - I don’t - I don’t know who to be without Dipper. He’s the ‘smart’ and ‘serious’ one, and I’m - I’m just the silly one, the one who’s a _good person_ \- and I don’t know if i can do that anymore -”

_Good thing you’ve got your smarts, Poindexter! I’ve got the other thing. What is it called? Oh, right. Punching!_

“Mabel -” Ford says, “You don’t have to know who you are yet! You’re twelve. You’re still going to be figuring things out for a long time, and sometimes, even when you think you’ve got it, things will change. Sometimes being on our own is what we need to figure out who we want to be.”

“What if I don’t want to figure it out on my own?” She asks, and he doesn’t know what to say, so he just holds on tighter.

“What if - what if I’m not enough on my own?”

He doesn’t mean to laugh, really, he doesn’t. Mabel shoves him - and, wow, no wonder she was able to take the herd of unicorns, she’s strong. 

“It’s not funny!”

“I’m sorry - really! I’m sorry,” Ford says, with a little chuckle. “I guess I’m just a little confused? I know I can sometimes be quite dense about these things. Fiddleford always said - anyway,” He coughs. “I know I haven’t been here the whole summer, but just since I got back you’ve fought a herd of unicorns. Actual unicorns! You brought back actual unicorn hair, which no one’s done since - well, I don’t even know when?” He says with a laugh. “You and Stan saved Dipper and me from Probabilitor. I mean, I’ve been around the weird for a long time, but I never would have thought of a centaurtaur! That was brilliant!” 

“You - you think so?” Mabel says, looking up a little.

She sounds so unsure, he can feel his chest clench up around her words.

 _Did you really think so little of yourself?_ He wonders.

_Not her. Not this time. ___

__“Absolutely!” Ford says, and puts all his earnestness into the word. “And you did it on your own, Mabel.”_ _

__“You don’t mean it.” She says, huddling into her sweater. “I’m not that smart. You want Dipper to be your apprentice, not me. I’m -”_ _

__Surprised, he asks. “Do you want to be?”_ _

__Mabel looks up, startled._ _

__“Mabel,” Ford asks, “Have you ever thought about your future?”_ _

__“I - I guess?” She wipes at the corners of her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater. “I was excited for - for high school, and dating, and singing, but Wendy says it’s all awful and I know everyone is going to hate me and I just - I thought I could do it with Dipper but he’s leaving and I don’t want -” She huddles down into her sweater. “I don’t want us to turn out like you and Grunkle Stan.”_ _

__Ford can feel his breath catch in his chest. Mabel pulls up the collar of her sweater. “I don’t want Dipper to hate me.” She says, muffled by the fabric._ _

__“Mabel -” He starts, unsure of where to begin. “I don’t hate Stan.” Ford says, finally, “I might be - frustrated, with him, sometimes.” He allows. “He can be reckless, and - overwhelming, and _incredibly_ stubborn, and -” He shakes his head, cutting himself off. “But, Stan - his - his heart’s always in the right place, just like yours. And - I do still love him, in spite of - of everything. And” Ford goes on, “Dipper - he loves you, Mabel. Anyone with sense can see that.” Mabel finally looks up at him. Ford, relieved, rubs the back of his neck and lets out a huff of laughter, “Ah, you’re both young. You shouldn’t let two old men’s troubles get in the way of your fun.”_ _

__Mabel smiles, just a little, and Ford puts a hand on her shoulder. “Mabel, no matter what happens, Dipper’s your _brother._ Nothing can change that.”_ _

__There’s a long moment, then Mabel nods._ _

__Ford lets out a deep breath and smiles. “So, did you ever think about what you’d do after high school?”_ _

__Mabel tilts her head, hand on her chin contemplatively. “Maybe - I’d be a radio host? or an artist? or maybe a superhero? or a radio star-superhero-fashion designer?”_ _

__“I know I’d buy your sweaters. I mean, I assume I’d get a family discount -” He says, then grins._ _

__“Grunkle Ford!” Mabel’s smiling now , and Ford feels something inside his chest unclench._ _

__“You’ve got plenty of time to figure it out,” He says, reaching out to ruffle her hair. “I don’t know, maybe I’ve been rushing into all of this. Maybe - maybe Dipper will decide he doesn’t want to stay and hunt monsters the rest of his life. Maybe he’ll want to study astrophysics! Or microbiology! I don’t know.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sure plenty of science has grown since I’ve been gone. There might be whole new fields I’ve missed. In any case” Ford continues, “- I’m sure you’ll find what you want to do too! Maybe it’ll be art, or acting, or math, or - or superhero-ing,” Mabel giggles a little at that, and Ford smiles. “And,” He adds, “if you don’t like any of your science professors, you can just call me, and I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”_ _

__“Really?” She asks, her eyes bright._ _

__“Of course!” Ford says. “What’s important is - if Dipper decides to go back to California, or - or if you decide to stay in Gravity Falls - that’s alright, as long as it’s the right choice for each of you. You just -” He sighs. “Neither of you should be so scared of being on your own. You should get to be your own person, because.” He reaches out to put a hand on Mabel’s shoulder. “You are a good person, all on your own.”_ _

__“You mean it?” Mabel asks._ _

__“Absolutely,” Ford says._ _

__“Okay.” She tucks her head into his chest and gives him a hug, and he thinks, _I didn’t miss it this time_ before she stands up. “I’m ready to wake up now.”_ _

__“Yeesh,” And Ford jumps at the third voice, scrambling to his feet at the sound. “I thought the sap fest would never end.”_ _

__“Stanley!” Ford exclaims. “How did you get here?”_ _

__“Hey, I had to make sure my favorite niece was okay.” Stan says with a shrug. “This guy bothering you, pumpkin?” He asks, pointing his thumb at Ford._ _

__“Nope!” Mabel says, wrapping her arms around Ford’s leg, to his surprise. He reaches down to ruffle her hair before looking up at Stan hopefully._ _

__“Oh, c’mere,” and his brother steps forward and pulls both of them into a hug._ _

__It doesn’t fix everything, it can’t. But it’s a start, and, right then, Ford believes that start will be enough for them to win, to make it past the weirdpocalypse, to somewhere they might be able to fix things._ _

__What was it they said, in dimension 52? In the journey of a thousand light years, the hardest step is igniting the hyperdrive._ _

__He's sure he remembered an Earth saying like that, too._ _

__“Whaddya say?” Stan asks as he lets them go, Mabel still clinging to both their legs. “You guys ready to kick some weird triangle butt?”_ _

__Ford smiles. “Yes, I think so.”_ _

__Mabel lets go and smacks her fist against her palm. “Let’s do it.”_ _

__\---_ _

__When he opens his eyes, he sees his brother in front of him._ _

__“Stanley,”_ _

__“’m awake -” Stanley’s eyes snap open. “Woah. That was weird.”_ _

__“Wooh!” Mabel’s up too, standing up on the couch. “Let’s do this!”_ _

__Dipper slams open the door of the room. “I got - Mabel!”_ _

__“Yeah!” Mabel practically lifts her brother up with the force of her hug._ _

__“You’re okay.” Dipper mumbles into his sister’s sweater._ _

__“Yeah, bro-bro.” Mabel says._ _

__“I’m sorry - I didn’t mean -”_ _

__“It’s okay.” She tells him. “I think - we’re going to be okay, Dipper. Whatever happens, I’m ready for anything. And you know what?” She adds, punching a fist into the air, “I am ready to kick Bill’s big triangle butt!”_ _

__Ford adjusts his glasses and turns to Dipper. “Do you have the screwdriver?”_ _

__“Got it!” Dipper says, waving it over his head._ _

__“Good - we need to get back to the saucer. I’ll explain on the way.” Ford looks around at the room. “Let’s go! World’s not going to save itself.”_ _

__“YEAH!” Mabel bounces on the couch. “PINES! PINES! PINES!”_ _

__Stanley and Dipper join in the chant, and Ford follows them, shouting as well._ _

__“PINES! PINES! PINES!”_ _

___We’re going to win._ Ford thinks, and believes it._ _


End file.
